I have seen this method of weed control, but have never tried it myself. Since our vegetable garden is huge (we would need allot of plastic!) weed control is always an issue. In the past years we've always spaced our rows wide enough to go through with the rototiller. This works well until the plants get substantial in size, around mid-summer. This last year I put cardboard down when the rototiller could no longer be safely used. Was pleased with the results. Good weed control and comfortable to walk and kneel on. By the end of the garden season it was still intact, but if you tried to pick it up it wanted to rip apart. My plan is to just rototill it in the spring. Hopefully it will prove to be good mulch.

Good morning! Cardboard sounds good. I would think it would break down pretty good after sitting out all winter. It seems that with any type of barrier one has to deal with slugs, though. The year I tried several layers of newspaper, I had a big slug issue. Also, it looked terrible. How huge is your veggie garden, sandlady? Mine is only 40 X 40. I don't like to use the rototiller. DH used to go between the rows with a mini-tiller every couple of weeks, but since he bought a Harley, has lost ambition for that! So I'm on my own with the weeds, and the plastic seems to be the ticket for me...

I don't mean to butt in, but I had to chuckle when I read about your slug problem. Are they really a problem here? I moved here from Western Washington(the slug capital of the world) a few years ago and the few slugs that I've seen here are very small. There are some safe and effective slug baits on the market that don't harm animals and other beneficials(ie,frogs,snakes) that eat slugs.Sluggo is one that I've used in the past. It uses an iron based formula.
I've also used black plastic in the garden. It works well. I found putting shredded bark mulch or crushed rock in the pathways makes it easier to walk on.

I did the newspaper thing and had good success with very few slugs. I think all the slugs prefered to dine on my hostas in the front gardens LOL.

I also use grass clippings when available.

This past summer, in my cottage garden, I planted everything waaayyy too close together and they weeds were minimal. The close planting was due to poor planning of space but it worked anyway.

I think this year I'll do a bit of layering with newspaper and grass clippings and see how it goes.

As for the black plastic...honestly, I'm too cheap to buy it! LOL

Copper

Hi Elvis, my veggie garden is comprised of 3 separate plots. 2 of them are about 50x25ft and the 3rd is about 120x50ft.That one is for corn and vine plants. I only did the cardboard on the 2 smaller plots. Did not have a slug problem here:-)

Elvis is this the garden type black plastic that is supposed to let air and water thru? When we first moved here I put some rugosas by our driveway. I didn't want to have to pick weeds, so I put that garden plastic down. I tore it out after 4 yrs. Weeds still came thru after the 1st year. I'd pull them out and then the plastic would rip. After I got it out, I put newspaper down and cocoa bean mulch on top of that. That has really worked well for me the past 4 yrs. Every other year I've mixed the mulch back into the soil. By then the paper has broken down well too. I don't put much mulch on and it breaks down pretty fast so I have to add more the 2nd year.
That cardboard sounds like a good idea too. I may try that out this year.

Kat

P.S. I know the cocoa bean mulch can be bad for dogs, but we don't have any running around here.

Kat, the plastic I used is the heavy, inexpensive stuff they have at Ace Hardware. It's non-porous, so weeds couldn't get through. I left about 4" open around the plants for watering and mulched with grass clippings in the openings. Watering isn't an issue for me because when we built the house we trenched hoses underground with 7 spigots placed strategically around the yard, attached to a pump which pumps water directly from the lake. This way we get warm water with nutrients in it and don't tax our well. I too tried the porous stuff, and you're right--it's worthless--I'm still finding chunks of the stuff buried here and there.

sandlady, you are ambitious! My little 40X40 veggie garden is all I can handle.

Cop, the plastic was real cheap, honest! And I know what you mean about planting too close. It really cuts back on weeding; I'm all for it.

noinwi, does Sluggo really work? I think I'll try it if you say yes.

Merry Christmas, all!

Constance.

Yes, the Sluggo works...here's an exerpt from a gardening supply site:

This slug bait is a unique blend of an iron phosphate active ingredient, originating from soil, with slug and snail bait additives. It is also used as an ingredient in fertilizers. The bait which is not ingested by snails and slugs will degrade and become a part of the soil.

Sluggo is attractive to slugs and snails, luring them from their hiding places and plants. Ingestion, even in small amounts, will cause them to cease feeding. This physiological effect of the bait gives immediate protection to the plants, even though the slugs and snails may remain in the area. After eating the bait, the slugs and snails cease feeding, become less mobile and begin to die within three to six days. Dead slugs and snails may not be visible as they often crawl away to secluded places to die. Plant protection will be observed in the decrease in plant damage.

There are different brands that use the same ingredient, so it should be fairly easy to find. Just make sure it's made with iron phosphate. I got mine while still in WA...if it works there, it should work anywhere!

I too have used all sorts of weed deterrents. Cardboard is working well in my asparagus bed that was overgrown with weeds. I am using leftover expensive landscape cloth in several places-I move it around some but worry that it might spread tomato blight so I don't use it where I plan to plant tomatoes.

My best solution for weeds is to use that looped weed hoe, a layer or two of newspaper and straw. I find I don't like walking on plastic or even cardboard. I also don't mind some weeds

I am always impressed when I see posts of weed free gardens, but I know I don't have the time or energy to keep my garden like that

Hi Elvis,
As far as I'm concerned black plastic is the only way to grow tomatoes,peppers and other warm weather plants in northern WI. It's the only way I know of to get the soil temps warm enough, early enough for the to do anything within a reasonable amount of time. You can have all the beautiful green house started seedlings in the world, but they won't do anything when set out in May in cold soil. I'm all for organic gardening and I know some of the purests don't like the stuff but this is my main "breech in organic law". I have a few things to say about it however. I don't think it's a good idea to cover the entire garden with it. I don't think it really kills the earth worms, but it chases them away, they go deep or out the side. It does kill the microorganisms though, so without these good guys in your garden your soil will be dead. It gets kind of hard and compacted and sometimes even a little stinky and rotten smelling, not like the wonderful earthy loamy smelling dirt that we all want. By rotating black plastic (only in the years where the hot weather plants are there) with organic mulches (in the years where you plant coles, beans or root crops there) you can acheve the proverbial great soil and still have the weed control you desire. Black plastic is bad for perenials especially trees and shrubs. Not only is there the "dead soil" issue but they can't get watered by rain or get the oxigene they need to the roots. I use soakers under the plastic for my maters. And worst of all eventually the weeds grow up through the plastic, make holes in it and the roots are undernieth it so you can't get them out without tearing up the whole works. This can be an even more terrible job if someone has put rocks or another non organic mulch on top of the plastic. I know from personal experience as the last 2 houses I bought had this type of landscaping left for me, all full of weeds complete with dieing shrubs. Black plastic can be a great tool for controlling tough perenial weeed like quack grass or bind weed. It may take a year or more however.
Any way Bla, bla, bla I go on.
Catrina

The weeds got away from me last year. So I bought 5 big roles of landscape fabric, never used it in a garden before. Hope it saves me some work.

It will, but remember that it will break down unless you bring it in, which I suppose you will so you can till. Keep us posted as to your success!